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Domestic
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Order:
Lagomorpha 1)
General zoological data of species |
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2)
General gestational data 3) Implantation |
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The exposure of the yolk sac to the uterine lumen is a major aspect of the inverted yolk sac placentation. Much substance transport occurs through these membranes. The compartments of the yolk sac placentation are shown above. They include the avascular omphalopleur (bilaminar - ectoderm and endoderm) and the vascular omphalopleur (trilaminar - ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm with vessels). The latter includes the sinus terminalis, as shown above. Note also the folding nature of the amniogenesis. | |||||||
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The
rabbit placenta has, in addition to the bidiscoid chorioallantoic portion,
a completely inverted yolk sac as is shown above. Please also observe the
rather large exocoelomic space and the very small allantoic sac, especially
when the latter is compared with the massive size found in some other species.
This has suggested to some observers that waste products and fluids are
exchanged only through the placenta, rather than involving the allantois.
At this "ob-placental" pole of implantation there is much endometrial
proliferation and modification of its surface. While this yolk sac placentation
flourishes at first, it regresses later in gestation and it probably plays
then a less important site of exchange.
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The specimens shown above were kindly donated by Dr. G. Heldt at UCSD. They come from a 27 day gestation of a strain that normally delivers on day 31. There were nine fetuses, each weighing between 30 and 34 g. The placentas, detached from the uterus, weighed between 85 and 88 g. The portion of uterus to which they were attached weighed 11 g. The doe was 4.5 kg.
5)
Details of barrier structure |
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6)
Umbilical cord |
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7)
Uteroplacental circulation |
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8)
Extraplacental membranes |
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9)
Trophoblast external to barrier |
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10)
Endometrium |
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11)
Various features
12)
Endocrinology |
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13)
Genetics The rabbit has 44 chromosomes, as is attested to by numerous publications (Nichols et al., 1965; Ray & Williams, 1966; Issa et al., 1968; Hsu & Benirschke, 1967). It thus differs from hares and other Lagomorpha which generally have higher chromosome numbers (Dave et al., 1965; Stock, 1976). Hageltorn & Gustavsson (1979) published the findings of chromosome banding studies. The "sex chromatin" or “Barr body” is evident in fibroblasts (Melander, 1962; Hulliger et al., 1963), and early sex determination of blastocysts was thus accomplished by Edwards & Gardner (1967). Initial gene assignments have been reported by Soulié & de Grouchy (1982, 1983). Martin & Shaver (1979) reported on a fertile male rabbit with an extremely small Y-chromosome. Most recently, Korstanje et al. (2003) have established linkages to certain chromosomes with microsatellite markers.(See below).
Spontaneous hybrids between the domestic rabbit and other leporids have
not been described. Chang et al. (1964), however, found that artificial
insemination of rabbits with semen of the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)
yielded some fertilized ova, but almost all eventually degenerated before
implantation. Only one such hybrid implanted and developed a small embryo.
When snowshoe hares were inseminated with rabbit semen and pretreated with
hCG, 90% were fertilized and two young were produced (Chang, 1965). Blastocyst
transfer failed to induce a normal endometrial response.
14)
Immunology
15)
Pathological features Kaufmann-Bart & Fischer (2008) have reported a first case of chorocarcinoma in a domestica rabbit with lung metastases. Remarkably, the syncytial cells were immunopositive for anti-human hcg antibody.
17)
Other resources
18)
Other relevant features
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